Connacht will see shift in personnel for start of Kieran Keane era

Connacht may have managed to hold on to most of their frontline players for next season but there will be a significant shift in personnel at the Sportsground for the start of the Kieran Keane era.

Rory Parata, who featured a dozen times last year in the march to the PRO12 crown, is leaving along with Shane O’Leary and Rory Moloney.

Scrum-half John Cooney is joining Ulster while lock Danny Qualter last week completed a move to Ian Costello’s Nottingham.

It is believed that Ronan Loughney, ruled out through injury for the remainder of the campaign, may have played his last match for Connacht, bringing to an end a career at the Sportsground which goes back to being a member of the first academy squad assembled by the province almost a decade and a half ago.

That situation could change given the legal difficulties being encountered by former Irish U20 Denis Coulson in France. Coulson had been expected to move from Grenoble to the Sportsground in the summer but it now remains to be seen if that move goes ahead.

Others with plenty of first-team experience, such as South African winger Danie Poolman, may also be departing in a few weeks when the season concludes.

Three members of the Connacht academy who have been released will be playing rugby in New Zealand for the foreseeable future.

Former Irish U20 internationals, full-back Ciaran Gaffney and lock Cian Romaine, who have completed three and two years respectively in the Connacht academy, have already left for New Zealand. Hooker Jack Dinneen, who has also completed three years in the academy, is due to go to New Zealand later this month. Other members of the academy who will be departing include scrum-half Conor Lowndes and back rower Stephen McVeigh.

Jimmy Duffy, forwards coach for the past two season, and outgoing academy manager Nigel Carolan will form part of Keane’s backroom team. That management team is likely to be strengthened, with Chiefs skills coach Andrew Strawbridge, who previously had a spell with Old Crescent in Limerick, being mentioned as a possibility.

The changes in Connacht will also include backs coach Conor McPhillips and head of fitness Paul Bunce, who will follow Pat Lam to Bristol when the season concludes next month.